39 deceived, devoid of the authority by which he mobilized the Marians to courageously undertake the missionary challenge. The experience was certainly painful and humiliating. In the course of his stormy dealings with Fr. Salazar, Fr. Casimir suffered hunger, loneliness, humiliation, mockery and all sorts of extreme degradation. Testifying at Fr. Casimir’s beatification process after his death, Fr. Salazar admitted that he had made Fr. Casimir a martyr by inflicting all this on him. It is worth noting that the lies and conceit of Salazar, who had the ambition of being the founder of the Order and thus competing with the zealous venerator of the Immaculate Conception, John of God, were parts of Divine Providence’s plans. God used the sinful weakness of that man to defend the just ones who were: Fr. Casimir and the aforementioned John of God, and He intertwined their fates so tightly that they became the spiritual milestones of the Marian mission in Portugal. John of God was the first Marian vocation on Portuguese soil. Thanks to his aristocratic origin and influence, it was possible to take over the monastery in Balsamão. Unfortunately, this first Portuguese Marian in our Congregation was unable to overcome his vocational crisis, and ended up leaving the Marian community forever. However, it happened after Fr. Casimir’s death. The purpose of this conference is not to recreate the intricate historical elements of the Portuguese venture. It is rather to show – more through questions than through narrative – Fr. Casimir’s spiritual portrait in his dealings with the condition of the Congregation at that time, which experienced once again some painful fragility and a kind of Passover. Let us examine and briefly discuss what are the paschal themes that accompany the organization of the missions in Portugal, and which we can find and vividly experience in the contemporary history of the Congregation. Since this is a retreat reflection, it is important to see how the problems that affected Fr. Casimir on the part of his community could constitute this happiness, which might be defined as a paschal victory over human disinclination, inability, ignorance, manipulation and even deception in order to prevent the aim of proclaiming the Gospel to the ends of the earth. In all adversities, Fr. Casimir recites this short but very emphatic prayer: “May the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary be our salvation and protection.” That is why it is worth emphasizing this essential
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